Description
Celebrate the holidays with these festive Mini Christmas Cheesecakes featuring a marbled red and green batter on a crunchy Oreo crust, topped with whipped cream and sprinkles. Perfectly portioned and visually stunning, these cheesecakes are a delightful treat for Christmas gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
Cheesecake Crust
- 100 g Oreo Cookies crushed with the filling
- 30 g butter melted
Cheesecake Batter
- 450 g cream cheese
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 20 g all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 60 g heavy cream
- 2 eggs
- red food coloring
- green food coloring
Topping & Garnish
- Whipped cream
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat oven to 150°Celsius. Place cupcake casings into a cupcake tray to prepare for the crust.
- Prepare the crust: Process Oreo cookies into fine crumbs with the filling using a food processor or crush with a rolling pin in a zip lock bag. Transfer crumbs to a bowl, add melted butter, and mix until fully moistened.
- Form the crust base: Place one tablespoon of cookie crumbs into each cupcake casing. Press down firmly with the side of a small rolling pin to compact the crust. Set aside.
- Beat cream cheese: In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth for 30 to 60 seconds, scraping the bowl often to avoid lumps.
- Add sugar, flour, and zest: Add granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, and lemon zest to the cream cheese. Beat again for 20 seconds to combine.
- Incorporate eggs and vanilla: Scrape the bowl, then add both eggs and vanilla extract. Beat for 10 seconds to combine, scrape the bowl, then beat another 10 seconds until smooth and creamy. Avoid overbeating to prevent excess air in batter.
- Fold in heavy cream: Gently fold the heavy cream into the batter until fully incorporated.
- Divide and color batter: Transfer one-third of the batter into two smaller bowls. Add green food coloring to one bowl and red food coloring to the other, mixing each thoroughly.
- Assemble cheesecakes: Pour batter into prepared cupcake casings starting with plain batter, then alternate red and green batters. Use a skewer in a circular motion through the batter to create a marbled effect, avoiding the crust.
- Bake with moisture: Bake mini cheesecakes at 150°Celsius for 20 minutes. Place a baking dish with water in the oven to keep the environment moist during baking.
- Rest in oven: After baking, leave the cheesecakes inside the oven for an additional 5 minutes to gently finish cooking.
- Cool before chilling: Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack.
- Chill thoroughly: Refrigerate cheesecakes for at least 4 hours or overnight to set firmly.
- Remove casings: Once fully chilled, carefully peel cupcake casings off each cheesecake.
- Garnish and serve: Top with whipped cream and sprinkles before serving for a festive finish.
- Store leftovers: Keep any leftovers refrigerated to maintain freshness.
Notes
- For a full large cheesecake, pour the batter into a 7-inch round cake tin and bake for 55 to 60 minutes at 150°Celsius.
- For a 9-inch round cake, double the recipe and bake for 65 to 70 minutes until sides are firm but center still slightly wobbly.
- Do not overbeat the batter to prevent excess air which can cause cracks during baking.
- The water bath during baking helps keep the cheesecakes moist and prevents cracking.
- Use quality cream cheese at room temperature for a smooth batter.
- Allow adequate chilling time for the best texture and flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mini cheesecake
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
